Aaron Judge out for at least three weeks with wrist fracture after being hit by pitch

The New York Yankees’ quest to take down the Boston Red Sox in the American League East may have just gotten a lot harder. Aaron Judge will be out three weeks after getting hit by a pitch Thursday.

Judge was hit in the right wrist by Jake Junis during an at-bat in the first inning. While he initially stayed in the game, Judge was removed in the fourth. The team announced he was heading to the hospital to get an MRI on his wrist.

The results revealed Judge has a fracture in his wrist. He’ll be out at least three weeks due to the injury.

Tonight OF Aaron Judge sustained a chip fracture of the right wrist (ulnar styloid bone). No surgery has been recommended. The Yankees approximate a 3-week time period before Judge can swing a bat in a game situation.

Aaron Judge leaves game after hit by pitch

Judge was hit by a 93 mph fastball that got away from Junis and ran too far inside. Upon getting hit, Judge shook his right arm before tossing his bat aside. He then slowly walked down to first base. Judge was checked out by trainers, but stayed in the game.

Judge managed to stay in the contest long enough to receive another at-bat. In the third inning, he managed a single off Junis to lead things off. When Judge’s spot came up again in the fourth inning, the Yankees removed him from the game.

Aaron Judge had an MRI on his wrist that revealed the fracture

After team doctors looked at Judge, it was determined he should go to a nearby hospital for an MRI. It’s unclear whether the team performed an X-ray on Judge’s wrist before sending him to the hospital. The MRI revealed Judge fractured a bone in his wrist. He will not need surgery.

A bad time for Aaron Judge to get injured

Losing Judge comes at a less than ideal time for the Yankees. The team just lost catcher Gary Sánchez with a groin injury. Sánchez could miss about a month due to the issue.

On top of that, the Red Sox are playing extremely well lately. The team has opened up a 5.5 game lead in the American League East, and don’t show signs of slowing down any time soon.

While losing Judge will hurt the Yankees in the short term, it might not matter. The team still has the firepower to remain in contention even without two of their best power threats. The rest of the roster is strong, and things look even better after the Yankees acquired Zach Britton and J.A. Happ.

Judge should be back and better than ever by the postseason, so there’s no need for Yankees fans to worry just yet. With that said, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the team be a little more aggressive at the trade deadline just in case things don’t go according to plan.

Yankees fans are hoping the team won’t be without Aaron Judge for long. (AP Photo)